It’s not quite win or go home like it is during the month of March, but for an Oakland team that has put themselves behind the eight ball, it’s win or take the hard road.
As two home losses in a row made the climb up the standings look steeper, the importance of this week was nothing but raised for the Golden Grizzlies.
It starts on Wednesday when they travel to Indianapolis to take on IU-Indianapolis. The first matchup at Oakland saw Oakland able to control much of the second half en route to a 72-59 win.
The game may not go as smooth this time, as the Jaguars have shown they can be a tough out at home. Last time out on their home floor was an overtime loss to Milwaukee in which they let a late seven point lead slip away. Home wins over Green Bay and Detroit Mercy also add to the resume in Indianapolis.
Leading scorer Paul Zilinskas was limited in the first matchup with Oakland with an injury, but is healthy now and scores almost 18 points per game while shooting 41% from three. Jarvis Walker is right behind him at 15 points per game. The two are veteran players who can keep the Jags in games.
Sean Craig is the other double digit scorer and leading rebounder, while DeSean Goode and Keenan Garner are impressive freshman.
Allen Mukeba and Buru Naivalurua shot a combined 14/16 (each 7/8) on their way to 34 points the last time out against the Jags. They will most likely be heavily featured on Wednesday night.
Oakland will then get some extra rest before taking the floor again on Sunday. There, they will take on a Detroit Mercy team that has the early part of the week off.
The first edition of the Metro Series this year was intriguing. Oakland took home a 65-59 win in a game with lots of intensity, maybe providing a spark to get the rivalry really cooking again.
Detroit Mercy leading scorer Orlando Lovejoy was returning off of injury in that first matchup, and was held to eight points. The only other double digit scorer on the roster, Mak Manciel, returned last game after a long stint on the bench due to a leg injury.
The Titans have five players who average between 7 and 8 points per game, so the wealth is spread around after Lovejoy.
Once again, expect Mukeba and Naivalurua to be prominently featured in this one, as they each led the Golden Grizzlies with 13 point double doubles in the first contest with the Titans.
Both the Titans and Jaguars are 4-11 in the conference, tied for ninth place. If Oakland wants to creep back into first round bye contention, these two games are paramount to take advantage off.
The crucial week begins Wednesday night at 6:30pm Eastern Time at IU-Indianapolis, while the Sunday home game against Detroit Mercy will tip off at 3pm Eastern Time. Both games will be televised on ESPN+.
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